Revelation

Revelation was written by John to seven churches at the western end of Asia Minor who were under the thumb of the Roman empire (Babylon). Life in the empire involved constant challenges with compromises to the ideology of the empire and emperor, and John exhorts them to be witnesses in word and life as well as to practice a worship that constantly affirms the triumph of God. And this same witness and worship is what we are called to today.  The Lamb of God shows the way to live, and God's promise is that justice and peace, the ways of God, will eventually be established (not by war but by witness and worship). Scot McKnight provides scholarly insights with a pastoral heart for all the books of the New Testament.  The NIV is used as the primary Bible text but McKnight also includes insights from his own translation of the entire New Testament. Each Bible study features a short, compact, clear exposition that both summarizes the whole and gives the reader a clear focus for what is central to the passage. McKnight also offers some historical context; connects the passage to the larger story of the Bible; provides an illustration, a metaphor, or an image that brings the passage alive; and provides a list of 2-3 resources for further reading or study. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily reading.